The Impact of the Resurrection (4/8/07)
I. The Resurrection Validates the Claims of Jesus(John 11:25)
II. The Resurrection Guarantees the Promises of Jesus(John 11:23-26)
III. The Resurrection Verifies the Work of Jesus
IV. The Resurrection Calls for a Response to Jesus (John 11:25-27)
Intro: On this Easter morning, we are focusing on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. No surprise there, but have you ever wondered why the resurrection is so important to the Christian faith? Have you ever wondered why the resurrection is so important to each and every Christian? The apostle Paul said that without it, we are a sorry, miserable, hopeless lot.
-Let me just say that without the resurrection, I would not be a Christian. In fact, there would be no Christianity, no Christian churches, no real hope of any kind beyond this life as we know it. Without the resurrection of Jesus, we would still be lost and separated from God.
-- ILLUS: A buddhist in Africa was converted to Christianity. Somebody asked the former Buddhist, “Why did you change your faith?” Here’s what he said: “It’s like this: If you are walking along and came to a fork in the road and two men were there, and one was dead and the other was alive, which man’s directions would you follow?”
-That’s what I’m talking about today, and herein lies our main idea:
Prop: Without the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity would be nothing more than another dead man’s religion.
Interrogative: How does the resurrection set Christianity apart from other religions?
TS: Let’s look at a few ways the resurrection of Jesus has made a lasting impact on this world.
I’d like to begin with a story from the 4th Gospel, where Jesus raises His friend Lazarus from the dead. I’m only using a portion of that story, because it shows some of the claims and promises of Jesus.
John 11:20-27 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
I. The Resurrection Validates the Claims of Jesus (John 11:25)
-25Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus was saying, “If you need resurrection and life, look no further. I have the answers to those things, [or better] I am the answer to those things.”
-Jesus made a number of shocking claims to the people of the first century. He said these kinds of things about Himself: “I AM the bread of life. I AM the light of the world. I AM the door. I AM the good shepherd. I AM the true vine. I AM the way, the truth and the life. I AM the resurrection and the life.”
-Bible scholars like to point out that the first two words of these claims are the same words that God used to reveal Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ’I AM has sent me to you.’" This is the sacred covenant name of God. It is pronounced Yahweh in the Hebrew language. When Jesus made these claims about Himself, it appears that He intentionally identified Himself with the God who had revealed Himself to Moses and Israel. In the gospel of John, Jesus made a claim, “I and the Father are one. If you’ve seen Me, you’ve also seen the Father.”
-This didn’t go over too well with some of the Jews, because they thought Jesus was a mere man, claiming to be God. If they had only known who they were talking to, would they have received God’s grace and forgiveness? Many did. But many missed out on it because they thought they knew better.
-However, when Jesus rose from the dead after three days, some of the doubters became believers. The resurrection of Jesus put a lot of things into perspective for His followers. As they began to remember all that He had said to them, the pieces of the puzzle began to make sense and fall into place. Jesus really was who He said He was, because He had conquered the Giant Enemy Death.
-TS: Well, not only was everything true that Jesus had said about Himself, but everything else He had said would turn out to be true as well. That’s what our 2nd point is about.
II. The Resurrection Guarantees the Promises of Jesus (John 11:23-26)
-23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
-25He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
-26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
(John 14:3 I will come back and take you to be with me….)
-Without going to great lengths to prove my point here, let me just say that Jesus proved that His words could be trusted! He had promised that He would rise again, and He did it. He kept His word!
-God has a way of keeping His word. Whatever He has promised will be fulfilled. If Jesus said it would happen, you can be assured that it will!
-In OT times, God told Israel to bring the first sheaf of barley from their barley crop and wave it as an offering before God. When God accepted this firstfruits offering, it became the guarantee that the rest of the crop would indeed be harvested. Paul uses this firstfruits offering to illustrate the resurrection. In 1 Cor. 15:20, he writes, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [or died].” So, as the firstfruits to be raised from death, Jesus is promising that the rest of the crop will indeed be harvested. All believers who have died are the rest of the crop that will be raised up.
-We can count on there being a future physical resurrection, because Jesus said there would be. 25He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
-TS: We can carry the impact of the resurrection further as we look at how it related to the work Jesus did on the cross.
III. The Resurrection Verifies the Work of Jesus
-By the work of Jesus, we mean the sacrificial work that He did on the cross. He did substitution work on the cross. He paid the penalty for my sins and your sins. We deserved death, but Jesus took our place.
-Now, the lambs that were sacrificed on Passover had to be perfect with no defects or blemishes. Did Jesus fit that description? Isaiah 53:9 shows us that He did: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” If there was no deceit in the mouth of Jesus the Messiah, then everything He said had to be true. And guess what He said about His own resurrection!
Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Mark 9:31 He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
Mark 10:32-34 Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
-You find similar accounts in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, John, and even in Acts. If Jesus said He was going to rise again after three days, what would it have proven if Jesus had stayed dead? It would have proven that He was either a liar or delusional. After all, who in their right mind willingly faces death and says that they will come back to life in 3 days? Either He deceived others or Himself – if He did not rise from the dead.
-So, we can conclude by the historical fact of the resurrection, with at least 515 eyewitnesses and other important evidence, that Jesus was who He said He was, He will do all that He said He would do, and that His work on the cross was completely finished and is effective as the payment for our sins today. The claims of Jesus are reliable, the promises of Jesus will be fulfilled, and the work of Jesus is enough to take care of our sin problem.
-A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Attached to it was the arm of a little girl. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!" "Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus first words." Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!"
-The resurrected Lord is the central event of our faith. It’s the "TA-DA!" of Christianity. And because of Easter, we know that Jesus is more powerful then anything in life, even death.
-This leads us to our final point.
IV. The Resurrection Calls for a Response to Jesus
-Jesus said to Martha, 25"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
-Naturally, as a pastor and as someone who cares about each person here, I want your response to be similar to Martha’s response: “Jesus, I believe that You are the Messiah, the promised Son of God.” I would love to hear this response from you regarding the resurrection: “Jesus, I believe that You were the perfect sacrifice, paying for my sins with your death, and showing you were the real thing by coming back to life.”
-However, I know that it is not always that simple. Some of you may still have questions that you need answered before you are willing to follow Jesus. I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee and help you find some of those answers. Some of you may have been hurt by people who call themselves Christians, and you feel like you cannot get past these offenses. Let me say that it is worth anything you have to do to get past the obstacles that keep you away from Jesus! The good news is that you don’t have to take care of these obstacles yourself. You can ask for help. Lord, help me to forgive. Help me to believe. Help me to understand the truth about You and experience You for myself! Set me free from the things that are keeping me tied up inside.
-I cannot begin to name the other reasons people may have for not receiving God’s love and forgiveness and following Him. All I can say to you today is that God loves you no matter what!!! You don’t have to prove yourself to Him or earn His love, because He knows all about you and He loves you anyway! You don’t have to jump through any hoops to be accepted by God. All it takes is a heart that is broken before God and a willingness to do things His way. It’s not about joining this church or any other church. It is about starting a relationship with the One who created you, knows you inside and out, and loves you more than you can imagine. Before we close, let’s watch a short clip that reminds us how amazing God’s love is for each of us.
Conclusion:
Three Questions
1. Does what I’ve been saying make sense to you?
2. Is there any reason why you would not be willing to receive Jesus as your Forgiver and Leader?
3. Are you willing to turn from your old way of living and put your faith in Jesus?
If so, you can do that anytime, any place by talking to the Lord and asking Him to change your life. In fact, I’d like to ask everyone to pray
Prayer: Jesus, / I believe that you are the Son of God,/ that you died on the cross for me / and you were raised to life again / on that first Easter morning. I know that I need you in my life / and I accept you as my Forgiver and Leader. Forgive me of my sins, / make me clean on the inside,/ and give me the power to live for you / from this moment on. Amen.
-If you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, then today is the first day of your new life with Jesus. If you just met Him today, it is going to take some time with Him to get to know Him better. Take some time each day to pray. I’d love to give you a small booklet that will explain what it means to become a follower of Jesus. I am here to help you on your spiritual journey and I will do all I can to help you grow.
-Closing prayer.
